Chapter 185: Wait Right There (2)

It was a calm and clear day without a single cloud. Until now.

Suddenly, a gust of cool wind blew into the front yard of the residence. It was definitely not a wind created by nature.

Seolhwa sent a glance towards So-mu.

“Shall we leave the room for a moment?”

“That would be a good idea.”

Soon, a haze of wind blew from the side of So-so, and a man dressed in black appeared.

Sharp impression and masculine facial features. It was Baek Ri-hyeon, the king of murder, famous as the legendary assassin of the martial arts world.

“If the head of the division cries like this, how will people view us?”

The conversation could not be heard from the outside because the King of Sal had spread a curtain around them.

So-so wiped her tears with her sleeve and grabbed her waist.

“Uncle Moonju, I have to go somewhere.”

“I heard about it. But there is nothing to be sad about. Your current experience will become the foundation for your further growth.”

“Without me, who will you play with now?”

“…Who are you hanging out with?”

King Sal looked down with bewildered eyes.

“If you”re lonely because you don”t have friends, please play with our Darong.”

“Yes, I understand. Just because you are mixed with nuns, you must not forget the recluse.”

“Yes. I won”t forget you either.”

Baek Ri-hyeon kneeled on one knee. His rough hands wiped away the child’s tore.

“Bubunju So-so. Make sure you don”t neglect your training there as well. I will be more than happy if you have completed one of Shadow Gate”s martial arts when we meet again.”

“I”ll come back after completing two”.”

“Yes, your qualifications should be enough. And you must be careful not to let anyone spy on you while you are practicing our sect”s martial arts.”

So-so nodded and reached forward to undo something from his belt. The first gift my father bought me was a plaything for the children to play with.

“It”s my favorite. I”ll leave it to Lord Moon until I come back.”

For an instant, all of Baek Ri-hyeon”s movements stopped.

Who were you? The king of assassins carried a plaything? I had mixed feelings, but it was something I couldn’t shake off.

After hesitating for a moment, he took something out of her pocket and held it out.

It was a small pouch made of silk. It looked like a miniature version of the anterior sac. Inside was a bead the size of a fingernail.

“Don”t leave this to me either. It is Shadow Gate”s one and only treasure.”

“Treasure?”

So-so’s eyes widened at the word treasure.

“It”s called Saengyuhwan. It has the effect of improving internal energy and immediately healing internal injuries. However, I hope you never have to use it.”

After completing the bartering, Baek Ri-hyeon stroked the child’s head once and stood up.

When he removed the magic curtain spread around him, So-mu’s sound was heard as if he had been waiting.

– That’s amazing. King Sal, who terrified the martial arts world, was so kind in wiping away the tore of a child.

A faint, barely visible smile appeared on Baek Ri-hyeon’s face for a moment, but then quickly evaporated.

After finishing his business, he disappeared into the darkness again.

There was no time to hesitate any longer. Yeonseonghwa muttered as he loosened the Mountain Lord”s leash.

“It”s time to go now.”

So-so hesitated, making sure his steps would not fall.

“Can”t you see your grandfather? I want to see you too”.”

I’m guessing you’re talking about Jang Yang. However, we could not ask Mingong, the leader of the country, to come here.

So-mu squatted down in front of the child, touched his shoulder, and said.

“Grandpa is busy right now so he won”t be able to come. My father will send his greetings. We can get along well and come back, right?”

“Yes” But what if I miss my father so much?”

So-mu hugged the child warmly and said.

“Then come running anytime. Your father will hug you like he does now.”

The father and daughter said goodbye with a deep hug. We will have to spend the next month apart. It wasn’t that long, but I couldn’t help but feel empty.

“I”ll be back”.”

So-so, with both hands folded together, greeted his father and climbed onto the Mountain Lord’s back. Snowflakes were already burning in front.

If you simply look at running speed, there was no living thing that can catch up with the mountains. It was the only means to completely defeat the Eunhwa Papa.

Seolhwa, who was holding the reins of the mountain army, nodded once towards So-mu.

“I”ll be back.”

“Yes, be careful.”

As a member of the Demonic Cult, it was impossible for her to go all the way to Amifa to meet him. That’s why Hyeonjeong and Cheong-hae left early in the morning and waited at the agreed upon location. The destination of the tale was there.

“Father, I”m fine!”

With So-so’s final shout, the Mountain Lord’s front feet kicked the ground. The sprint began. It was a movement like a thunderbolt that was difficult to follow even with the eyes.

The mountain army carrying Seolhwa and So-so was already climbing vertically up the castle wall. And after another breath had passed, I could no longer see the figure in my field of vision.

So-mu held his back and continued to stare in the direction where his wife and child had disappeared.

There was no movement for a while, as if feeling a lingering sensation.

Around half-hour, a quiet and heavy voice was heard from not far away.

“It seems like it”s a shame to be away from your daughter for a while.”

It was a voice that came from thin air. It was Baek Ri-hyeon, who was hiding somewhere out of habit.

“It”s only been a month, but somehow I feel empty.”

“Still, it is better to be empty for a while than to feel anxious. It was a good decision for the child.”

“Thank you for saying that. Now we must do our part.”

So-mu and Baek Ri-hyeon headed to the palace side by side.

I planned to start tracking Eunhwapapa from where he last disappeared.

From here, it was up to Baek Ri-hyeon, who was named the best assassin in the martial arts world. He bent his lower body, closed her eyes, and traced the minute traces left by Chu Honxiang.

“That direction.”

So-mu answered by nodding his head.

King Sal took the lead and continued moving forward. As expected, traces of Chuhonhyang continued outside the castle.

So-mu followed behind him silently, holding his back.

Befitting his reputation, his tracking skills were tongue-in-cheek. The problem was that the speed was too slow. It was just the walking speed of an adult male who had not learned martial arts.

After one visit, So-mu became frustrated and uttered a word behind his back.

“So I don”t know when I”ll find it.”

“The Sword Saint is less patient than I thought. Don”t be impatient. Patience is the most important virtue for a assassin.”

“I can”t live like you. I just watched and realized it wasn”t something a person would do, so I guess there”s a need for Shadow Gate to change his ways now.”

“I just quietly stick to my duties, have no interest in such things, and have no sense of what needs to change. But… something might change in my next generation.”

It was very clear who the next generation meant.

So-mu already knew everything, but he pretended not to know. I just cleared my throat once and then asked quietly.

“How do you think it will change?”

“All of the rules of Shadow Gate are determined by the Moonju. So why not change them to suit the Moonju”s personality?”

“I guess so.”

Before they knew it, they had left Chang’an City and were approaching the river.

“Seeing as the traces have disappeared here, it seems that the old monster crossed the river.”

The width of the river reached over 100 chang. And a ferry boat was seen nearby. However, they were not leisurely enough to cross the river on it as if taking a cruise.

So-mu and Baek Ri-hyeon’s new models took off at the same time.

Taaa-!

The two went side by side like water swallowed, as if they were competing.

They crossed over to the other side in the blink of an eye, but their breathing didn’t even break.

“I think I went into the woods over there.”

From here, tracking was not easy because of the thick grass and animal droppings.

The two continued to wander through the forest into the night without much success.

“It looks like it”s going to rain.”

As soon as So-mu finished speaking, a drop of rain fell. And soon it turned into a shower and started pouring down.

The rain gradually became thicker and stronger.

Tutututututuk-!

Heavy rain was pouring down on them, but not a drop of water got on their clothes. Raindrops were bouncing off invisible energy.

So-mu and Baek Ri-hyeon sat a distance away from each other and leaned against a tree.

Baek Ri-hyeon was naturally quiet, and So-mu also didn’t like pointless chatter. As a result, there was no conversation between the two.

The rain showed no sign of stopping. So-mu was lost in thought for a moment and put his hand into his bosom. There was a piece of beef jerky that Seolhwa brought for him.

Sigh-!

So-mu tore off half and snapped his fingers. Then, the jerky shot out in front of Baek Ri-hyeon’s nose, drawing a curve as if it had wings.

Hot-!

“””?”

“It”s probably worth eating. My wife made it herself.”

The two men closed their mouths again and quietly began to eat the beef jerky.

The rain did not stop and became more intense.

After half an hour had passed, So-mu’s heavy voice echoed through the rain.

“But how did I end up on the path to life?”

“I don”t know. As young as I can remember, I was already being trained to kill.”

Baek Ri-hyeon’s eyes, faintly revealed through the rain, had a sad look.

From a young age, he was raised as a follower of the clan and has devoted his entire life to the clan. He became a special assassin at the youngest age, and won the title of King of Sal, defeating Sect Leader.

But” ” .

“What was it for?”

And what have you lived for? I couldn’t find the answer. As your body remembered. And I’m just doing it according to the stream of consciousness.

At that time, So-mu’s mumbling was heard again.

“I guess I don”t have many memories.”

Where can it only be memories? I almost forgot how to laugh.

“Shadow Gate was everything to me.”

So-mu read loneliness in his expression.

“It”s not for me to judge, but just from what I hear, it”s a lonely life. But it wouldn”t be so lonely if I had at least one friend.”

Baek Ri-hyeon”s eyes turned to the rainy sky.

“” ” “Friend.”

Now that I think about it, there was one person that came to mind. A friend I just met.

Baek Ri-hyeon”s expressionless face drew an awkward smile.

Since I don’t usually smile, it’s bound to be unnatural. Therefore, it looked like a pure white smile without any pretense.

“Yes. Isn”t it nice to see you smiling like that?”

“””.”

Baek Ri-hyeon, who felt awkward, quickly returned to an expressionless face.

So-mu chuckled and changed the subject.

“But how was it possible to sprinkle the incense of death on that old monster?”

“I was just lucky.”

“Even though he has a crippled body, he is an old monster who got rid of his demons a long time ago. Isn”t there something a little strange about him?”

Baek Ri-hyeon thought about the situation at the time.

Chuhonhyang was contained in a bead-shaped memorabilia. Even though Eunhwapapa could have easily avoided it, he chose to destroy it and face it.

There were parts that made it difficult to think that it was simply a momentary error in judgment.

“Like So said, maybe we are being lured.”

The Sword Saint and King Sal, who left a mark in the history of martial arts, were moving together. Who dares to lure them all at the same time?

It was unbelievable, but it couldn’t be ignored.

“Even my wife was concerned about it. But I have no choice but to go.”

It was something you would find out when you went there for yourself.

Before they knew it, the shower had subsided and the dazzling Il-gwang shone on their faces again.

King Sal took the lead again and began wandering through the forest.

I hope so. The forest was connected to an unknown mountain.

Although it was a rugged mountain that no one could enter, it was no obstacle to them.

“I think we”re almost there.”

So-mu nodded once and completely lost sight of his presence.

A secret that can no longer be perfect. Not even the sound of left stepping on their feet could be heard.

The sound of water was coming from not far away. It was a waterfall.

So-mu and Salwang were heading there.

After a moment, their steps stopped at the same time.

– The old monster was over there.

It was Baek Ri-hyeon”s telepathic message. So-mu was already looking there too.

Below the waterfall that flowed down from the cliff. In the center of the strong stream of water, an old woman was sitting cross-legged.

Although the back had a lot of white hair, it was clear that it was Eunhwapapa.

A waterfall that split without being able to reached the old monster”s body. And even though it was Madou, I couldn’t feel any magical energy at all. Moreover, one arm appeared to have been amputated.

– I think it would be a good idea to keep an eye on it first.

I felt like I could easily catch him if I blocked the escape route with King Sal and attacked him. But I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable for some reason.